Army troopers recover NPA war items, docus in N. Ecija

SAN JOSE CITY – Philippine Army troops have recovered alleged war materials and subversive documents belonging to the New People’s Army 9NPA) in Barangay Minuli, Carranglan, Nueva Ecija, a few kilometers north of this city.

The recovered items include a printer, 79 rounds of .45-caliber ammunition, two reams of bond paper, ink, and 37 communist leaflets, among others.

They were recovered by combined troopers of the Army’s 91st Infantry “Sinagtala” Battalion (91IB), and 84th Infantry “Victorious” Battalion (84IB), following intelligence information provided them by a former rebel member of the dismantled Kilusang Larangang Gerilya-Sierra Madre (KLG-SM) of the NPA.

PA 911 Batallion commander, Lt. Col. Reandrew P. Rubio, said the information voluntarily given by the surrendered former rebel in a custodial debriefing.

Following his surrender, the rebel also yielded an M14 rifle, a magazine, and nine rounds of ammunition. Rubio urged the remaining members of the dismantled KLG-SM to also come forward and lay down their arms.

He said it is now time to embrace peace and the government’s offer of a more family comfortable life through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).

“We welcome anyone who wanted to embrace a new life with peace and will ensure that they will get all the assistance they need through E-CLIP. Let us continue to support peace and development projects to end armed conflict,” Rubio added.

PA 703rd Infantry Brigade commander, Col. Joseph Norwin Pasamonte, also lauded the full cooperation of the surrenderer as “it manifests his trust and confidence with the authorities.”

Maj. Gen. Andrew D. Costelo, acting AFP Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) chief, said the accomplishments resulted in the decisive conduct of focused military operations of the Army coupled with the full cooperation of the former rebels and the communities.

The trust given by the former rebels who returned to the fold of the law is a huge thing because they are now our partners in totally defeating terrorism. We assure them that we value the pieces of information they disclosed and we will work on them immediately,” Costelo said.